JP2009038795A - Image forming apparatus management system, image forming apparatus, management device, image forming method, image forming program, management method, and management program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus management system, image forming apparatus, management device, image forming method, image forming program, management method and management program in which utilization of the image forming apparatus is permitted for each user and confidentiality of information can be maintained. <P>SOLUTION: Biological information acquired by an image forming apparatus is transmitted to a biological authentication server. The biological authentication server stores biological information and the user ID corresponding to the biological information is transmitted to a management server. The management server stores use restriction information, of the image forming apparatus, corresponding to the user ID and the use restriction information corresponding to the user ID is provided to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus controls the performance of the relevant image forming apparatus based on the use restriction information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus management system, an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus, an image forming method, an image forming program, a management method, and a management program for managing processing in an image forming apparatus including a multifunction peripheral.

  In recent years, in an organization such as a company, an image forming apparatus (including a multifunction machine having a FAX function, a scanner function, a copy function, etc.) and a plurality of computer terminals are connected on a network and the image forming apparatus may be shared. Many are seen. In such an environment, it is necessary to maintain the confidentiality of the image data handled on the network. Further, since the image forming apparatus is shared and used by a plurality of users, it is desired to improve the use efficiency.

For example, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-222141 (Patent Document 1), at least a user name, a password, distribution information, and a user of the destination are included in each of the destinations distributed via the network in the network scanner device. Destination information storage means for setting and registering destination information consisting of other destinations that can be used, and user authentication based on the combination of the user name and password of the destination information storage means, and successful authentication by the user authentication A network scanner device that is permitted to be used only for the Internet is disclosed.
JP 2004-222141 A

  However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to transfer the image data of the read original document to the destination, when the transfer destination terminal is shared by a plurality of users, the image data is viewed by other people. there is a possibility.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the use of the network scanner device is permitted to all users who have been authenticated. Recent image forming apparatuses have a FAX function, a copy function, and the like in addition to the scanner function. If the free use of the image forming apparatus is permitted, the image forming apparatus may be used for an unexpected purpose. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and has been made to solve these problems. An image forming apparatus that permits the use of an image forming apparatus for each user and maintains the confidentiality of information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a management system, an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus, an image forming method, an image forming program, a management method, and a management program.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to achieve the above object.

  The present invention is an image forming apparatus that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus via a network, and acquires biometric information. A transmitting unit configured to transmit the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server; a receiving unit configured to receive use restriction information corresponding to the biometric information from the management server; and the image forming apparatus based on the use limit information. And a control means for controlling the operation.

Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is configured to have a biological information reading unit that reads the biological information.
In the present invention, the biometric authentication server has a database storing biometric information for each group to which group identification information is assigned, and the image forming apparatus includes group identification information of the group including the biometric information. And setting means for setting the association with the name of the group.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention further includes a selection unit that selects the group name set by the setting unit, and group identification information that acquires group identification information corresponding to the group name selected by the selection unit. Acquisition means, and the transmission means transmits the group identification information acquired by the group identification information acquisition means and the biometric information to the biometric authentication server.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention is connected to a user authentication server that performs user authentication based on user identification information, and includes user identification information acquisition means. The transmission means transmits the biometric information to the biometric authentication server. When it is not possible, the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition means is transmitted to the user authentication server.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention further includes an acquisition information setting unit configured to set any one of the biological information and the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium as information to be acquired. When the recording medium identification information is set in the acquired information by the acquired information setting means, the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium is transmitted to the management server.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is configured to include a recording medium identification information reading unit that reads the recording medium identification information from the recording medium.

  The present invention is a management server that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information via a network, and that controls the use of the image forming apparatus. The use restriction information storage means storing use restriction information related to the use of the image forming apparatus and user identification information corresponding to the biometric information acquired by the image forming apparatus are received from the biometric authentication server. A receiving unit; a usage limitation information acquiring unit that acquires usage limitation information corresponding to the user identification information from the usage limitation information storage unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the usage limitation information to the image forming apparatus. It was.

  The present invention relates to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus via a network, and is based on an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information. An image forming method, based on a transmission procedure for transmitting the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server, a reception procedure for receiving use restriction information corresponding to the biometric information from the management server, and the use restriction information And a control procedure for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention provides an image forming apparatus that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus via a network, and acquires biometric information. An image forming program to be executed, wherein the image forming apparatus includes an arithmetic processing device and a storage device, and transmits the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server to the arithmetic processing device; A reception step of receiving usage restriction information corresponding to the biological information from the management server and a control step of controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the usage restriction information are executed.

  The present invention relates to a management server that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information via a network and performs control related to use of the image forming apparatus. A management method, wherein the management server includes use restriction information storage means in which use restriction information relating to use of the image forming apparatus is stored, and the biometric acquired by the image forming apparatus from the biometric authentication server A reception procedure for receiving user identification information corresponding to the information; a use restriction information acquisition procedure for obtaining use restriction information corresponding to the user identification information from the use restriction information storage; and the use restriction information in the image forming apparatus. And a transmission procedure for transmitting to.

  The present invention relates to a management server that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information via a network and performs control related to use of the image forming apparatus. A management program to be executed, wherein the management server includes an arithmetic processing device and a storage device in which use restriction information relating to use of the image forming device is stored, and the biometric authentication server is included in the arithmetic processing device. Receiving step of receiving user identification information corresponding to the biometric information acquired by the image forming apparatus; usage restriction information acquiring step of acquiring usage restriction information corresponding to the user identification information from the storage device; A transmission program for transmitting usage restriction information to the image forming apparatus is provided.

  In the present invention, an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information, a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on the biometric information, and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus are connected via a network. In the image forming apparatus management system, the biometric authentication server includes transmission means for transmitting user identification information corresponding to biometric information transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the management server, Usage restriction information storage means storing usage restriction information related to use of the image forming apparatus, usage restriction information acquisition means for obtaining usage restriction information corresponding to the user identification information from the usage restriction information storage means, and the use Transmitting means for transmitting restriction information to the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus transmits the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server. It means, and a configuration and a control means for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the use restriction information transmitted from the management server.

  In the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes an acquisition information setting unit configured to acquire one of the biological information and the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium, and the transmission unit Is configured to transmit the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium to the management server when recording medium identification information is set in the acquired information by the acquired information setting means.

  According to the present invention, the use of the image forming apparatus can be permitted for each user, and the confidentiality of information can be maintained.

  In the present invention, the image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information, the biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on the biometric information, and the management server that performs management related to the use of the image forming apparatus are used to use the image forming apparatus corresponding to biometric information. to approve.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an image forming apparatus management system 100 according to the present invention. In the image forming apparatus management system 100 of the present invention, an image forming apparatus (MFP) 200, a management server 300, a biometric authentication server 400, and an AD (Active Directory) server 500 are connected via a network 600.

  The image forming apparatus 200 acquires the user's biometric information as authentication information for authenticating the user of the image forming apparatus 200 and transmits it to the biometric authentication server 400. The biometric authentication server 400 stores information corresponding to the biometric information, and a user ID corresponding to the biometric information is transmitted to the management server 300. The management server 300 stores use restriction information of the image forming apparatus 200 corresponding to the user ID, and provides the use restriction information corresponding to the user ID to the image forming apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 200 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the use restriction information.

  In the image forming apparatus 200, IC card identification information stored in a recording medium such as an IC card may be used as authentication information. In this case, the image forming apparatus 200 transmits the acquired IC card identification information to the management server 300. The management server 300 transmits a user ID corresponding to the IC card identification information to the AD server 500 and performs user authentication. The management server 300 provides usage restriction information corresponding to the authenticated user ID to the image forming apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 200 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the use restriction information.

  That is, in the image forming apparatus management system 100 of the present invention, information used in user authentication can be set to either the user's biometric information or the IC card identification information recorded on the recording medium.

  As described above, in the present invention, in order to control the operation of the image forming apparatus 200 based on the use restriction information for each user ID corresponding to the biometric information or the IC card identification information, the use of the image forming apparatus is permitted for each user. It becomes possible to maintain the confidentiality of information. Further, in the present invention, impersonation can be prevented by using biometric information for user authentication, which is suitable for handling highly confidential information.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 200.

  The image forming apparatus 200 includes a scanning device 21, a plotter device 22, a drive device 23, an auxiliary storage device 24, a memory device 25, an arithmetic processing device 26, an interface device 27, and an operation display device 28 that are connected to each other via a bus B. Consists of.

  The scanning device 21 includes a scanner engine, an engine control unit that controls the scanner engine, and the like, and is used to make a paper document as image data. The plotter device 22 includes a plotter engine and an engine control unit that controls the plotter engine, and is used to output image data. The interface device 27 includes a modem, a LAN card, and the like, and is used to connect to the network 600. The image forming apparatus 200 transmits / receives information to / from other apparatuses on the network 600 via the interface apparatus 27. The operation display device 28 is configured by a touch panel or the like, and displays operation keys of the image forming apparatus 200, processing progress, and the like.

  The image forming program of the present invention is at least a part of various programs for controlling the image forming apparatus 200. The image forming program is provided by distributing the recording medium 29 or downloading from the network 600, for example. The recording medium 29 on which the image forming program is recorded is information such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc., a recording medium for recording information optically, electrically or magnetically, a ROM, a flash memory, etc. Various types of recording media, such as a semiconductor memory that electrically records data, can be used.

  When the recording medium 29 on which the image forming program is recorded is set in the drive device 23, the image forming program is installed from the recording medium 29 to the auxiliary storage device 24 via the drive device 23. The image forming program downloaded from the network 600 is installed in the auxiliary storage device 24 via the interface device 27.

  The image forming apparatus 200 stores the installed image forming program and stores necessary files, data, and the like. The memory device 25 reads and stores the image forming program from the auxiliary storage device 24 when the computer is activated. The arithmetic processing unit 26 implements various processes as described later according to the image forming program stored in the memory device 25.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the management server 300.
The management server 300 includes an input device 31, an output device 32, a drive device 33, an auxiliary storage device 34, a memory device 35, an arithmetic processing device 36, and an interface device 37 that are mutually connected by a bus B.

  The input device 31 includes a keyboard and a mouse, and is used for inputting various signals. The output device 32 includes a display device and is used to display various windows, data, and the like. The interface device 37 includes a modem, a LAN card, and the like, and is used for connecting to the network 600. The management server 300 transmits / receives information to / from other devices on the network 600 via the interface device 37.

  The management program of the present invention is at least a part of various programs that control the management server 300. The management program is provided by, for example, distribution of the recording medium 38 or downloading from the network 600. The recording medium 38 on which the management program is recorded is information such as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, etc., an optical, electrical, or magnetic recording medium, a ROM, a flash memory, etc. Various types of recording media such as a semiconductor memory for electrical recording can be used.

  When the recording medium 38 on which the management program is recorded is set in the drive device 33, the management program is installed from the recording medium 48 into the auxiliary storage device 34 via the drive device 33. The management program downloaded from the network 600 is installed in the auxiliary storage device 34 via the interface device 37.

  The management server 300 stores the installed management program and stores necessary files, data, and the like. The memory device 35 reads and stores the management program from the auxiliary storage device 34 when the computer is activated. The arithmetic processing unit 36 implements various processes as will be described later in accordance with the management program stored in the memory device 35.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, information used for user authentication can be selected in the image forming apparatus management system 100. FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus management system 100 according to the first embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus management system 100 is configured by connecting an image forming apparatus 200, a management server 300, a biometric authentication server 400, an AD server 500, and a management terminal 700 via a network 600.

  In this embodiment, when user authentication based on biometric information is selected, user authentication is performed by the biometric authentication server 400. When user authentication based on IC card identification information is selected, user authentication is performed by the management server 300 and the AD server 500. Do. The biometric information of the present embodiment is, for example, information obtained by detecting a user's finger vein. The biometric information is not limited to the finger vein, and may be a fingerprint, for example.

  FIG. 5 is a functional configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 200 includes a biological information reader 210 and an IC card reader 220 in addition to the hardware configuration shown in FIG. The biological information reader 210 and the IC card reader 220 are controlled by the arithmetic processing unit 26.

  The biological information reading device 210 is a finger vein imaging device that images a finger vein, for example. The IC card reader 220 is, for example, a non-contact type IC card reader.

  The image forming apparatus 200 includes a plug-in unit 230, a plug-in setting unit 240, a password generation unit 250, a display control unit 260, an individual information acquisition unit 270, and a processing history acquisition unit 280.

  The plug-in unit 230 is a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 24 and read and executed by the arithmetic processing unit 26. The plug-in unit 230 includes a plug-in 231 having a biometric information acquisition control function for controlling processing related to biometric information acquisition, and a plug-in 290 having an IC card information acquisition function for controlling acquisition of information from the IC card. The plug-in 231 and the plug-in 290 may be recorded on the recording medium 29, for example, or may be downloaded via the network 600. The plug-in 231 and the plug-in 290 are stored in the auxiliary storage device 24. The plug-in 231 and the plug-in 290 can be installed or uninstalled in the image forming apparatus 200 independently of each other.

  The plug-in 231 includes a biological information acquisition unit 232 that acquires biological information captured by the biological information reader 210 and a biological information processing unit 233 that uses the biological information as data that can be handled by the image processing apparatus 200. The plug-in 290 acquires the IC card identification information read by the IC card reader 220.

  The plug-in setting unit 240 sets a plug-in to be activated in the plug-in unit 230. In the image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, the user authentication using the biometric information or the user authentication using the IC card identification information is selected by setting a plug-in to be activated by the plug-in setting unit 240. be able to.

  The password generation unit 250 generates a password according to a specific algorithm based on the IC card identification information. The password once generated by the password generation unit 250 is stored in the auxiliary storage device 24 as individual information to be described later. The display control unit 260 controls display on the operation display device 28 of the image forming apparatus 200.

  The individual information acquisition unit 270 acquires individual information based on use restriction information described later. The individual information is information that can be used for each user in the image forming apparatus 200. The individual information may be stored in advance in the auxiliary storage device 24, for example. The individual information is, for example, setting information for each user in the image forming apparatus 200, an address book, image data or electronic document processed or processed by the image forming apparatus 200, and the like. The individual information is information corresponding to a user ID described later, and is read when a “personal menu” described later is selected in the image forming apparatus 200. When the “personal menu” is selected in the image forming apparatus 200 and the individual information is read, the arithmetic processing unit 28 executes the processing of the image forming apparatus 200 based on the individual information.

  The process history acquisition unit 280 acquires a history of processes executed in the image forming apparatus 200. The acquired history may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 24, for example, or may be transmitted to another history management device via the network 600. The history of processing is stored in association with, for example, the user ID and the type of processing, and the history of executed processing can be searched with the user ID and the type of processing. This search result may be displayed, for example, so that the user can view it on the operation display device 28.

  Next, the management server 300 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a functional configuration diagram of the management server 300 according to the first embodiment.

  In the management server 300 of this embodiment, user information 310 and usage restriction information 313 for each user are stored in the auxiliary storage device 34 in advance. The user information 310 includes IC card identification information 311 and a user ID 312. The IC card identification information 311 stores IC card identification information recorded in the IC card reader 220 in advance. The user ID 312 is user identification information corresponding to the IC card identification information 311 and is read based on the IC card identification information 311.

  The use restriction information 313 is information indicating functions or setting conditions that can be used by the user in the image forming apparatus 200, and is information corresponding to the user ID 312. The usage restriction information 313 includes, for example, whether or not the scan function of the image forming apparatus 200 can be used, whether or not the FAX function can be used, whether or not the monochrome printing function can be used, and whether or not the color printing function can be used. In the image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, based on the use restriction information 313, for example, the user A is permitted to use the scan function, FAX function, monochrome printing function, and color printing function, and the user B is scanned. It is possible to perform control such as permitting the use of only the function and the print function.

  The usage restriction information acquisition unit 320 acquires the usage restriction information corresponding to the user ID 312 from the auxiliary storage device 34. The authentication server setting unit 330 sets an authentication server used for user authentication. In the present embodiment, the authentication server set by the authentication server setting unit 330 is either the biometric authentication server 400 or the AD server 500. The display control unit 340 controls display on the display device that constitutes the output device 32 of the management server 300.

  The biometric authentication server 400 performs user authentication based on biometric authentication. The biometric authentication server 400 stores in advance biometric information for each user and a user ID associated with the biometric information. The AD server 500 performs user authentication based on the user ID. The AD server 500 stores a user ID in advance.

  The management terminal 700 is a terminal that manages the image forming apparatus management system 100. The management terminal 700 can change settings and register information in the image forming apparatus 200 and the management server 300, for example. In this embodiment, an example in which there is one management terminal 700 is shown, but one management terminal 700 may be arranged for each of the image forming apparatus 200 and the management server 300.

  The biometric authentication server 400, the AD server 500, and the management terminal 700 have the same hardware configuration as the management server 300. That is, the biometric authentication server 400, the AD server 500, and the management terminal 700 can be realized by a general computer having an arithmetic processing device, an auxiliary storage device, a memory device, and an output device (display device).

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus management system 100 of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, user authentication using biometric information can be performed by setting a plug-in activated in the image forming apparatus 200 and an authentication server used for user authentication. The plug-in settings and authentication server settings are described below.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plug-in setting screen according to the first embodiment. In response to the plug-in setting instruction, the image forming apparatus 200 causes the display control unit 260 to display the plug-in setting screen 70 on the operation display device 28. The plug-in setting screen 70 displays a list of plug-ins that can be activated in the image forming apparatus 200. The plug-in setting unit 240 sets the plug-in selected on the plug-in setting screen 70 as a plug-in to be activated. The plug-in setting screen 70 may be displayed on a display device of the management terminal 700, for example. When a plug-in is selected in the management terminal 700, the plug-in setting unit 240 may acquire plug-in setting information from the management terminal 700 and set it as a plug-in that activates the selected plug-in.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an authentication server setting screen in the management server 300 according to the first embodiment. The management server 300 according to the present embodiment acquires authentication server setting information, and the authentication server setting unit 330 sets the authentication server. In response to the authentication server setting instruction, the management server 300 causes the display control unit 340 to display the authentication server setting screen 80 on the display device 32.

  On the authentication server setting screen 80, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of an authentication server in the network 600, settings unique to each authentication server, and the like are performed. The authentication server setting screen 80 in FIG. 8 shows a case where the biometric authentication server 400 is set. In the authentication server setting screen 80, the URL of the biometric authentication server 400, a timeout period for acquiring biometric information, and the like are set.

  The authentication server setting unit 330 acquires the setting information generated on the authentication server setting screen 80 and sets the authentication server. The authentication server setting screen 80 may be displayed on the display device of the management terminal 700. When an authentication server is set in the management terminal 700, the authentication server setting unit 330 acquires setting information from the management terminal 700 and sets the authentication server.

  Next, user authentication in the image forming apparatus management system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. First, user authentication using biometric information (hereinafter, biometric authentication) will be described. At this time, in the image forming apparatus 200, a plug-in 231 for realizing a biometric information acquisition control function is set as a plug-in to be activated, and the biometric authentication server 400 is set as an authentication server.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining biometric authentication in the first embodiment.

  In step S901, the display control unit 260 of the image forming apparatus 200 causes the operation display device 28 to display the opening screen 10 (see FIG. 10) that prompts biometric information acquisition. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an opening screen. On the opening screen 10, a start button 10A for issuing a biometric authentication start instruction is displayed.

  When start button 10A is operated (touched) on the opening screen, the process proceeds to step S902, and biometric authentication is started. In step S903 following step S902, the management server 300 receives a biometric authentication start instruction and determines whether the biometric authentication server 400 is set in the authentication server. If the authentication server is not set in step S903, the process advances to step S904, and the management server 300 notifies the image forming apparatus 300 to that effect. The image forming apparatus 200 causes the display control unit 260 to display an error message indicating that the authentication server is not set on the operation display device 28 (see FIG. 12A). FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an error message displayed on the operation display device 28.

  Returning to FIG. 9, if the biometric authentication server 400 has been set in step S <b> 903, the process proceeds to step S <b> 905, and the management server 300 notifies the image forming apparatus 200 to that effect. In the image forming apparatus 200, the user ID input screen 11 shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the operation display device 28 by the display control unit 260. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user ID input screen displayed on the operation display device 28.

  In step S905, when there is no input for a certain period of time, the process returns to step S901, and the display control unit 260 displays the opening screen 10 on the operation display device 28.

  When the user ID is input in step S905, the biometric information is read by the biometric information reader 210, and the authentication button 11A displayed on the user ID input screen 11 is operated in step S906, the process proceeds to step S907, where biometric authentication processing is performed. Is done.

  If user authentication is performed in step S907, the process proceeds to step S908, and the login of the user to the image forming apparatus management system 100 is completed.

  Here, the biometric authentication process of the present embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the user ID and biometric information acquired by the image forming apparatus 200 in step S905 are transmitted to the biometric authentication server 400. The biometric authentication server 400 authenticates the user when the user ID and the biometric information that match the user ID and the biometric information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 200 exist in the biometric authentication server 400.

  If it is determined in step S907 that the authentication process cannot be executed due to a user ID input error or biometric information reading error, the display control unit 260 proceeds to step S909, and displays an error message indicating the fact on the operation display device 28 ( (See FIG. 12B). The user ID input error is, for example, when a prohibited character is input.

  When the OK button 12B is operated in the error message displayed in step S909, the process proceeds to step S910, and the display control unit 260 displays the user ID input screen 11 in step S905. The display control unit 260 displays the opening screen 10 in step S901 when the operation is not performed for a certain time in step S909.

  If the authentication process cannot be executed due to a connection error between the image forming apparatus 200 and the biometric authentication server 400 in step S907, the display control unit 260 proceeds to step S911, and displays an error message indicating that fact on the operation display device 28. (See FIG. 12C).

  In the present embodiment, user authentication is performed using biometric information as described above. In the present embodiment, impersonation of the user can be prevented by using biometric information, and higher security can be maintained. Further, since biometric information is used for user authentication, it is not necessary to carry an IC card or the like to log in to the image forming apparatus management system 100, and the convenience of the image forming apparatus 200 can be improved.

  Next, user authentication using IC card identification information (hereinafter referred to as IC card authentication) will be described. At this time, in the image forming apparatus 200, a plug-in 290 having an IC card information acquisition function is set as a plug-in to be activated, and the AD server 500 is set as an authentication server.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining IC card authentication in the first embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 200 acquires the IC card identification information 311 from the IC card reader 220 and transmits it to the management server 300 via the interface device 27. Upon receiving the IC card identification information 311, the management server 300 proceeds to step S 1301 and searches the user information 310 stored in the auxiliary storage device 34 based on the IC card identification information 311. Then, it is determined whether or not there is IC card identification information that matches the acquired IC card identification information in the auxiliary storage device 34.

  When there is IC card identification information that matches the acquired IC card identification information 311, the management server 300 reads the user ID 312 corresponding to the acquired IC card identification information. In step S1302, the management server 300 determines whether user authentication processing using the AD server 500 is set.

  If it is determined in step S1302 that user authentication using the AD server 500 is set, the process advances to step S1303, and the management server 300 accesses the AD server 500 and reads the user ID held in the AD server 500. It is confirmed whether the user ID 312 exists.

  In step S1303, if the corresponding user ID exists in the AD server 500, the management server 300 authenticates the user, and the user login is completed in step S1304. If it is determined in step S1302 that the user authentication using the AD server 500 is not set, the IC card identification information that matches the IC card identification information acquired in the auxiliary storage device 34 in step S1301 exists. Proceeding to S1304, the user login is completed.

  In step S1303, if the user ID 312 does not exist in the AD server 500, the process advances to step S1305, and the management server 300 uses the image forming apparatus 200 for the user ID 312 based on the use restriction information 313 corresponding to the corresponding user ID. Determine whether to allow. In step S1305, when the user ID 312 is a user ID permitted to use the image forming apparatus 200, the management server 300 is assumed to be authenticated. If the user ID 312 is a user ID that is not permitted to use the image forming apparatus 200 in step S1305, the process proceeds to step S1306, and the user authentication is terminated because the login process has failed.

  In the present embodiment, user authentication using an IC card can be performed as described above.

  Next, in this embodiment, permission for use of the image forming apparatus 200 for each user after the user login is completed will be described.

  In the present embodiment, when user authentication is performed, the management server 300 acquires the use restriction information 313 corresponding to the user ID 312 by the use restriction information acquisition unit 320. The usage restriction information 313 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 200. Based on the usage restriction information 313, the image forming apparatus 200 controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 200 so as to realize only the functions that can be used by the authenticated user.

  In the present embodiment, a process for realizing a function that can be used only by an authenticated user in the image forming apparatus 200 will be described as a personal menu process. The “personal menu” in the present embodiment is the name of personal menu processing. Functions that can be executed by the “personal menu” include, for example, access to image data and electronic documents stored for each user in the image forming apparatus 200, browsing, use and editing of individual address books, and individual user mail documents. Browsing. Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, when the personal menu is selected, the user can customize the display of the operation display device 28 and the setting state of the image forming apparatus 200 individually.

  The personal menu process executed by the image forming apparatus 200 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining personal menu processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the state of the operation display device 28 when the personal menu process is selected. FIG. 15A shows the state of the operation display device 28 before login to the personal menu, and FIG. B) shows the state of the operation display device 28 after logging in to the personal menu.

  When the user login is completed in step S1401, the process advances to step S1402, and the image forming apparatus 200 is in an inoperable state (hereinafter referred to as hard key lock) until the user login is completed. Is ready for operation.

  Progressing to step S1403 following step S1402, the image forming apparatus 200 changes the state of the image forming apparatus 200 only to a predetermined function (priority function) determined in advance based on the use restriction information 313 transmitted from the management server 300. Transition to a feasible state. The priority function may be a function that can be realized without using user-specific information such as copy processing.

  In step S1404, when the image forming apparatus 200 receives an instruction to execute personal menu processing, the process advances to step S1405, and the display control unit 260 displays on the operation display device 28 that processing preparation preparation has started (FIG. 15 ( A)). If it is determined in step S1404 that there is no personal menu process execution instruction, the process advances to step S1418, and the image forming apparatus 200 is controlled so that only the priority function determined based on the use restriction information can be realized.

  Progressing to step S1406 following step S1405, the image forming apparatus 200 executes login processing to the personal menu. In the image forming apparatus 200, the password generation unit 250 generates a password based on the user ID 312. At this time, the auxiliary storage device 24 stores a user ID 312 and a password generated based on the user ID 312 at the previous login.

  Progressing to step S1407 following step S1406, the image forming apparatus 200 determines whether the auxiliary storage device 24 has a user ID 312 and a user ID that matches the password generated from the user ID 312 and a password.

  If the corresponding user ID does not exist in step S1407, the image forming apparatus 200 determines that the user ID 312 is a new user ID that has not been registered, and the process advances to step S1408. In step S1408, the display control unit 260 of the image forming apparatus 200 causes the operation display device 28 to display a user registration screen, and proceeds to user registration processing.

  If the password is invalid in step S1407, the process advances to step S1409, and the image forming apparatus 200 places the operation display device 28 in a hard key locked state. At this time, a print instruction can be issued for a print job already held in the image forming apparatus 200 at this time.

  The illegal password state occurs when the user changes the password (initial password) generated by the password generation unit 250 at the first login to the personal menu to a user's own password. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S1410 following step S1409, and the display control unit 260 displays a touch panel screen or the like on which the password can be input on the operation display device 28, and displays that it is necessary to input the changed password. If the correct password is input by the user in S1410, the process proceeds to step S1411, and the hard key lock state is released according to the use restriction information.

  In step S1407, if the login process has an error for some reason, the display control unit 260 proceeds to step S1412 and erases the display indicating the process execution preparation displayed on the operation display device 28. Proceeding to step S1413 following step S1412, the display control unit 260 causes the operation display device 28 to display a message indicating that an error has occurred in the login process for the personal menu. Thereafter, the image forming apparatus 200 is controlled so that only the priority function determined based on the use restriction information 313 can be realized.

  In step S1407, if there is a user ID 312 and a user ID and password that match the password generated from the user ID 312 in the auxiliary storage device 24, the login to the personal menu of this user is completed. When the login to the personal menu is completed in step S1407, the process proceeds to step S1414, and the individual information acquisition unit 270 acquires the individual information corresponding to the user ID 312 from the auxiliary storage device 24. In the image forming apparatus 200, the setting of the image forming apparatus 200 is performed based on the individual information.

  Progressing to step S1415 following step S1414, image forming apparatus 200 is enabled to use the operation keys used in the personal menu on operation display device. Progressing to step S1416 following step S1415, the display control unit 260 deletes the display indicating the processing execution preparation displayed on the operation display device 28.

  Proceeding to step S1417 following step S1416, the display control unit 260 displays on the operation display device 28 that information relating to the password is viewable. Thereby, the login process to the personal menu in the image forming apparatus 200 is completed, and the personal menu for each user is displayed on the operation display device 28 (see FIG. 15B).

  In addition, the information regarding the password displayed in step S1417 is an initial password generated by the password generation unit 250, guidance for changing the initial password to a user's own password, or the like. In the present embodiment, the screen displayed on the operation display device 28 in step S1417 may be transitioned to a password setting screen for changing a password. For example, if the password has already been changed, the screen may be changed to a screen for notifying the user of the initial password again. Further, when the password is notified to the user, the displayed password may be automatically deleted when a predetermined time elapses after the password is displayed on the operation display device 28.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the user ID is managed by the management server 300, and the usable functions of the image forming apparatus 200 are limited based on the user ID. The security of the management of the individual information held in 200 is strengthened, and the confidentiality of the information can be maintained.

  Further, in the present embodiment, for example, when the biometric authentication server 400 is disabled, the user authentication can be performed by directly accessing the AD server 500.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining user authentication when the biometric authentication server 400 is unusable.

  If the biometric authentication server 400 is unusable, the image forming apparatus 200 proceeds to step S1601 and transmits the user ID (see step S906 in FIG. 9) input from the operation display device 28 to the AD server 500.

  Progressing to step S1602 following step S1601, the AD server 500 determines whether or not a user ID that matches the transmitted user ID exists in the AD server 500. Proceeding to step S1603 following step S1602, if a matching user ID exists in the AD server 500, the user is authenticated.

  If there is no matching user ID in step S1603, the process advances to step S1605, and the AD server 500 transmits an authentication error message to the image forming apparatus 200. In the image forming apparatus 200, the display control unit 260 displays an authentication error message on the operation display device 28. Progressing to step S1606 following step S1605, the image forming apparatus 200 acquires the history information of the authentication error by the processing history acquisition unit 280 and stores it in the auxiliary storage device 24 or the like. The history of authentication errors may be transmitted to the management server 300 and stored in the auxiliary storage device 34 of the management server 300.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, even when the biometric authentication server 400 cannot be used, the login process can be performed using the input user ID. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the biometric authentication server 400 fails for some reason or when biometric information cannot be acquired, the image forming apparatus 200 can be used based on the use restriction information for each user.

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that the operability when performing user authentication based on biometric information is improved. Therefore, in the following description of the present embodiment, only differences from the first embodiment will be described, and the reference numerals used in the description of the first embodiment will be used for those having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are assigned, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the biometric authentication server 400A registers biometric information for each user stored in advance and a user ID associated with the biometric information for each group. This group is given group identification information (hereinafter referred to as group ID) for each group.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a biometric authentication server 400A according to the second embodiment. The biometric authentication server 400A of this embodiment is realized by a general computer having an arithmetic processing device and a storage device (not shown). The biometric authentication server 400A according to the present embodiment includes a database 410 provided in the storage device and an authentication processing unit 420 that performs authentication processing using biometric information.

  In the database 410, biometric information for each user and a user ID associated with the biometric information are stored for each group as authentication information used in the authentication process, and a group ID is assigned to each group. Yes. In the example illustrated in FIG. 17, for example, the database 410 stores authentication information 411 to which a group IDA is assigned, authentication information 412 to which a group IDB is assigned, and authentication information 413 to which a group IDC is assigned. In the present embodiment, for example, each department to which a user belongs may be a single group.

  The authentication processing unit 420 receives a biometric authentication start instruction from the image forming apparatus 200A described later and executes authentication processing. Details of the processing of the authentication processing unit 420 will be described later.

  Next, the image forming apparatus 200A of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a functional configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 200A according to the second embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 200A of the present embodiment includes a plug-in unit 230A. The plug-in unit 230A includes a plug-in 231A that realizes a biometric information acquisition function. The plug-in 231A includes a biometric information acquisition unit 232, a biometric information processing unit 233, a group name setting unit 234, a list control unit 235, and a group ID acquisition unit 236.

  The group name setting unit 234 included in the plug-in 231A of the present embodiment includes a group ID stored in the biometric authentication server 400A and a list box L10 described later displayed on the operation display device 28 of the image forming apparatus 200A (see FIG. 20). ) Is associated with the group name in parentheses.

  The group name setting unit 234 causes the display control unit 260 to display the screen 20 shown in FIG. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the operation display device 28. In the example of FIG. 19, a software keyboard is displayed. A system administrator or the like uses this software keyboard to set association between a group ID and a group name.

  When the group ID and the group name corresponding to the group ID are input on the screen 20 and the setting button 21 is pressed, the group name setting unit 234 sets the association between the group ID and the group name. More specifically, the group name setting unit 234 stores the correspondence between the group ID and the group name in, for example, the auxiliary storage device 24 included in the image forming apparatus 200A.

  The list control unit 235 creates a list of group names set by the group name setting unit 234. The list created by the list control unit 235 is displayed in the list box L10 of the operation display device 28. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which a list of group names is displayed. Details of list creation by the list control unit 235 will be described later.

  On the screen 30, a list box L10 is displayed. In the list box L10, all group names set by the group name setting unit 234 are displayed. In the present embodiment, when all the group names set by the group name setting unit 234 cannot be displayed in the list box L10, the scroll bar S may be displayed in the list box L10.

  The group ID acquisition unit 236 acquires a group ID corresponding to the group name selected in the list box L10 created by the list control unit 235 from the auxiliary storage device 24 of the image forming apparatus 200A.

  Next, biometric authentication in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a flowchart for explaining biometric authentication in the second embodiment.

  The processing from step S2101 to step S2104 in FIG. 21 is the same as the processing from step S901 to step S904 in FIG.

  If the biometric authentication server 400A is set as the authentication server in step S2103, the process proceeds to step S2105. In step S2105, the management server 300 notifies the image forming apparatus 200A to that effect. In the image forming apparatus 200A, the display control unit 260 causes the operation display device 28 to display the list box L10 shown in FIG.

  Following step S2105, the process proceeds to step S2106. When a group name is selected in the list box L10 and the biometric information is read and the authentication button 31 is operated (see FIG. 20), the process proceeds to step S2107, where biometric authentication processing is performed. Done.

  The biometric authentication process in step S2107 will be described below.

  When a group name is selected, the image forming apparatus 200 </ b> A of the present embodiment acquires a group ID corresponding to the group name selected by the group ID acquisition unit 236. The image forming apparatus 200A transmits the acquired group ID and the read biometric information to the biometric authentication server 400A.

  The biometric authentication server 400A receives the group ID and biometric information and performs an authentication process. The biometric authentication server 400A uses the authentication processing unit 420 to search for authentication information corresponding to the received group ID, and determines whether there is biometric information that matches the received biometric information. For example, when the group ID received by the biometric authentication server 400A from the image forming apparatus 200A is the group IDA, the authentication processing unit 420 searches the authentication information 411 corresponding to the group IDA and matches the biometric information received. Determine whether the information exists. When there is biometric information that matches the received biometric information, the authentication processing unit 420 authenticates the biometric information.

  The processing from step S2108 to step S2111 is the same as the processing from step S908 to step S911 in FIG.

  Here, creation of a list by the list control unit 235 in the present embodiment will be described. The list control unit 235 of this embodiment creates the list again after the group name is selected in step S2106. When the group name is selected in step S2106, the list control unit 235 creates a list so that the next time the list box L10 is displayed, the group name selected in step S2106 is positioned at the top of the list. . The group names displayed after the top are arranged in descending order of the number of times selected in the past.

  This will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  For example, when the list box L10 was displayed last time, the group name selected from the list box L10 is set as the group name A, and the group name selected most frequently in the past among the group names A, B, and C is the group. Name C.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 20, the list control unit 235 sets the highest group name in the list as the group name A which is the group name selected last time. Then, in the group names other than the group name A, the group name C which is the group name having the largest number of selections in the past is set as the group name next to the highest group name. Then, the group name B that is frequently selected next to the group name C is set as the group name next to the group name C. The list control unit 235 of this embodiment stores a value obtained by counting the number of times each group name is selected, and determines the number of times the group name is selected based on this value.

  As described above, the list control unit 235 of the present embodiment creates a list so that the group name selected last time and the group names frequently selected in the past are at the top of the list. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a user selects a group name from a list, the user who uses it more frequently can find and select the group name to which he belongs.

  Further, in the present embodiment, it is only necessary to select a group name from the list when performing biometric authentication processing, and it is not necessary to input a user ID as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operation at the time of performing the biometric authentication process can be simplified, and the operability can be improved. In addition, the biometric authentication server 400A of the present embodiment only needs to search for authentication information to which a group ID corresponding to the selected group name is assigned, and needs to search for all authentication information stored in the biometric authentication server 400A. There is no. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the time required for the authentication process and further improve the accuracy of the authentication process.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The third embodiment of the present invention is different from the second embodiment in that the operability when performing user authentication using biometric information is further improved. Therefore, in the following description of the third embodiment, only differences from the second embodiment will be described, and those having the same functional configuration as the second embodiment will be used in the description of the second embodiment. The same reference numerals as those used are assigned, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, when a group name is displayed on the operation display device 28 of the image processing apparatus 200B, a group name button provided for each group name is displayed. In this embodiment, this configuration eliminates the trouble of searching for a desired group name from the list box L10 and improves operability.

  FIG. 22 is a functional configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 200B according to the third embodiment. The plug-in unit 230B of the image forming apparatus 200B of the present embodiment includes a plug-in 231B that realizes a biometric information acquisition function. The plug-in 231B includes a biometric information acquisition unit 232, a biometric information processing unit 233, a group name setting unit 234, a list control unit 235, a group ID acquisition unit 236, and a button setting unit 237.

  The button setting unit 237 according to the present embodiment performs setting for causing the operation display device 28 to display a group name button corresponding to the group name set by the group name setting unit 234. The button setting unit 237 of the present embodiment displays a screen having the same layout as the screen displayed on the operation display device 28 at the time of biometric authentication as a group name button setting screen.

  The setting of the group name button of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a button setting screen by the button setting unit 237 according to the second embodiment. On the screen 40, a setting unit 41 for associating a group name button with a group name is displayed. In the present embodiment, the layout of the setting unit 41 is displayed in the same layout as the screen displayed when performing biometric authentication described later.

  In the present embodiment, for example, when a group name button to be associated is pressed by a system administrator or the like, a screen 20 shown in FIG. 19 is displayed. In the present embodiment, when the group ID and group name are input on the screen 20 and the setting button 21 is pressed, the group name input to the group name button displayed on the setting unit 41 of the screen 40 is displayed. .

  Since the display of the screen 40 of the present embodiment is the same as the screen at the time of actual biometric authentication, the system administrator who performs the setting, based on the display of the setting unit 41, You can check whether the group name is displayed correctly.

  Specifically, for example, when it is desired to display “group name A” in the group name button 42, the group name button 42 of the setting unit 41 is pressed on the screen 40. Then, since the screen 20 shown in FIG. 19 is displayed, the group name A and the group ID corresponding to the group name A are input on the screen 20, and the setting button 21 is pressed.

  Then, on the screen 40, the group name button 42 displays the group name A input on the screen 20 in the group name button 42. If the OK button 43 is pressed here, the setting of the group name of the group name button 42 is completed. If the cancel button 44 is pressed here, the screen 40 is changed to the screen 20 again, and the group name to be displayed can be changed or modified. Accordingly, when the system administrator or the like sets the group name button, the display contents can be confirmed while setting the group name button.

  For example, when the number of characters that can be displayed in the group name button is 8, and a 10-character group name is input, the ninth and subsequent characters are not displayed in the group name button. In this embodiment, since it can be confirmed that the group name is not correctly displayed in the group name button on the screen 40 in such a case, the group name can be quickly changed or corrected.

  Next, biometric authentication in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 24 is a flowchart for explaining biometric authentication in the third embodiment.

  The processing from step S2401 to step S2404 in FIG. 24 is the same as the processing from step S901 to step S904 in FIG.

  If the biometric authentication server 400A is set as the authentication server in step S2403, the process proceeds to step S2405. In step S2405, the management server 300 notifies the image forming apparatus 200A to that effect. In the image forming apparatus 200A, the display control unit 260 causes the operation display device 28 to display the screen 50 shown in FIG. FIG. 25 is an example of a screen displayed on the operation display device 28.

  Following step S2405, the process proceeds to step S2406. When the group name button is pressed on the screen 50 and biometric information is read, the process proceeds to step S2407 and biometric authentication processing is performed.

  The biometric authentication process in step S2407 is the same as in the second embodiment. That is, when a group name is selected by the group name button, the group ID acquisition unit 236 acquires a group ID corresponding to the group name. The image forming apparatus 200B transmits the acquired group ID and biometric information to the biometric authentication server 400A. In the biometric authentication server 400A, the authentication processing unit 420 performs an authentication process using the group ID and the biometric information.

  The processing from step S2408 to step S2411 is the same as the processing from step S908 to step S911 in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, up to six group name buttons can be displayed on the screen 50 shown in FIG. The group name set in the group name button is preferably a frequently selected group name. In the present embodiment, a group name not displayed on the group name button on the screen 50 can be selected. Specifically, for example, when selecting a group name not displayed on the screen 50, the other group selection button 51 is pressed. Then, the display screen of the operation display device 28 transitions to a screen 30 shown in FIG. On the screen 30, a list of group names other than the group name set in the group name button is displayed in the list box L10, and the group name in the list box L10 can be selected.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the group name button displaying the group name is displayed during the biometric authentication process, the group name can be selected simply by pressing the corresponding group name button. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to search for a group name from the list box L10, and operability can be further improved.

  In this embodiment, when setting the group name button, the setting can be performed on the same layout setting screen as that displayed when the actual process is executed. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the load of setting work by the system administrator or the like.

(Fourth embodiment)
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the fourth embodiment, a further function is added to the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following description of the fourth embodiment, the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment are assigned to those having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. .

  In the fourth embodiment, when information is read from an IC card in the image forming apparatus 200C, information on a preset area can be read. In the fourth embodiment, the AD server 500A and the management server 300A can be linked to register and delete user information stored in the management server 300A. In the fourth embodiment, it is possible to manage print jobs executed in the image forming apparatus 200C.

  FIG. 26 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus management system 100A according to the fourth embodiment. The image forming apparatus management system 100A is configured by connecting an image forming apparatus 200C, a management server 300A, a biometric authentication server 400, an AD server 500A, a management terminal 700A, a print server 800, and a user terminal 900 via a network 600. The print server 800 according to the present embodiment manages print jobs generated in the user terminal 900 and the image forming apparatus 200C described later. The user terminal 900 according to the present embodiment performs selection of a document to be printed, instruction for printing, and the like in the image forming apparatus 200C.

  Hereinafter, each device constituting the image forming apparatus management system 100A of the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 27 is a functional configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 200C according to the fourth embodiment. The plug-in unit 230C of the image forming apparatus 200C includes a plug-in 290A that realizes an IC card information acquisition function.

  The plug-in 290A of the present embodiment sets an area for reading information in the IC card for the image forming apparatus 200C. The plug-in 290 </ b> A includes an area setting information acquisition unit 291, an area setting unit 292, a card reader control unit 293, and an information format conversion unit 294. The area setting information acquisition unit 291 acquires area setting information generated by the management terminal 700A described later. The region setting unit 292 performs region setting based on the region setting information acquired by the region setting information acquisition unit 291. Specifically, the area setting unit 292 performs area setting for the image forming apparatus 200 </ b> C by storing the acquired area setting information in the auxiliary storage device 24. The card reader control unit 293 controls reading of information by the IC card reader 220. The IC card reader 220 reads area information set in the IC card.

  The information format conversion unit 294 converts the IC card identification information acquired by the IC card reader 220 into a predetermined information format. The predetermined format is a format of information handled in the image forming apparatus management system 100A of the present embodiment, and is a format of information that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 200C.

  For example, when the image forming apparatus 200C has a specification corresponding to the information of the Felica (registered trademark) card format, and the information read from the IC card reader 220 is the format of the eLWISE card, the information format conversion unit 294 The read information format is converted to a Felica (registered trademark) card format. When the information read by the IC card reader 220 is information in a format that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 200C, the information format conversion unit 294 may not perform the information format conversion processing. According to the information format conversion unit 294, the image forming apparatus 200C can correspond to a plurality of types of IC cards in which information is recorded in different formats.

  FIG. 28 is a functional configuration diagram of the management server 300A according to the fourth embodiment. The management server 300 includes a user information management unit 350, an update file acquisition unit 360, a print job deletion instruction unit 370, and a print order change unit 380, in addition to the units included in the management server 300 of the first embodiment.

  The user information management unit 350 manages user information 310 stored in the management server 300A. Specifically, user information is registered, deleted, and updated. The user information management unit 350 includes a user information registration unit 351, a user information deletion unit 352, and a user information update unit 353.

  The user information registration unit 351 registers user information in the auxiliary storage device 34. The user information deletion unit 352 deletes user information from the auxiliary storage device 34. The user information update unit 353 updates user information stored in the auxiliary storage device 34 based on an update file described later.

  The update file acquisition unit 360 acquires an update file for updating user information stored in the auxiliary storage device 34. The update file may be created by another device connected to the management server 300A via the network 600, for example. In this case, the management server 300A can obtain the update file by downloading it. The update file may be created by a general computer not connected to the management server 300A, for example, and recorded on a recording medium. In this case, the management server 300A can acquire the update file by reading the update file from the recording medium.

  The print job deletion instruction unit 370 generates a print job deletion instruction for deleting the print jobs accumulated in the print server 800 at once. The print order change instruction unit 380 generates an execution order change instruction for changing the execution order of print jobs accumulated in the print server 800.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an AD server 500A according to the fourth embodiment.

  The AD server 500A includes a storage device 510 and an authentication processing unit 520 realized by an arithmetic processing device. The storage device 510 stores user information 530 and a password 540 corresponding to the user information 530. The user information 530 includes IC card identification information 531 and a user ID 532 corresponding to the IC card identification information 531. The authentication processing unit 520 performs authentication processing for determining whether the user information 530 stored in the storage device 510 is valid and authenticating the user.

  Next, the print server 800 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a print server 800 according to the fourth embodiment.

  The print server 800 manages print jobs generated by the user terminal 900 and the image forming apparatus 200C described later. The print server 800 includes a print control unit 811, a print order change unit 812, a print job deletion unit 813 realized by the arithmetic processing device 810, a print job holding unit 820 realized by a storage device, and a communication device 830.

  When a print instruction is issued from the user terminal 900 or the image forming apparatus 200C, the print control unit 811 transmits the print job held in the print command holding unit 820 to the image forming apparatus 200C, and the image forming apparatus 200 prints the print job. Is executed. In response to the print order change instruction from the management server 300A, the print order change unit 812 changes the execution order of the print jobs held in the print command holding unit 820. In response to the print job deletion instruction from the management server 300A, the print job deletion unit 813 deletes the print jobs held in the print command holding unit 820 at once. The communication device 830 performs communication between the management server 300A and the image forming apparatus 200C.

  FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a management terminal 700A according to the fourth embodiment.

  The management terminal 700A can be realized by installing a program for the management terminal 700A in a general computer having the arithmetic processing device 710, the storage device 720, the display device 730, and the communication device 740.

  The management terminal 700A includes a control unit 711 and an area setting information generation unit 712 realized by the arithmetic processing device 710. The control unit 711 controls various processes executed by the management terminal 700A. The area setting information generation unit 712 generates area setting information to be described later.

  In the management terminal 700A, the arithmetic processing device 710 executes the region setting program stored in the storage device 720, thereby realizing the function of the region setting information generation unit 712. When the management terminal 700A is instructed to generate area setting information, the area setting program is activated.

  The generation of area setting information in the area setting information generation unit 712 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  First, an IC card will be described prior to generation of area setting information in the present embodiment. FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining an IC card. FIG. 32A is a diagram for explaining an information recording format of the IC card A, and FIG. 32B is a diagram showing information recorded on the IC card A.

  In the IC card A, information is recorded in a format as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 32A, the IC card identification information is recorded at the head, the employee number information is in block 1, the IC card A issuance information is in block 2, and the IC card A is in block 3. Issuance date information, and in block 4, information on the expiration date of the IC card A is recorded.

  The format shown in FIG. 32A differs depending on the IC card standard, and is predetermined by the IC card issuer. In addition, the format of information recorded on the IC card is different for each IC card standard. For example, in the case of a Felica (registered trademark) card, information is recorded in the information format of the Felica (registered trademark) card in a format dedicated to the Felica (registered trademark) card. For example, in the case of an eLWISE card, information is recorded in an eLWISE card information format in a format dedicated to the eLWISE card.

  FIG. 32B shows areas of information recorded on the IC card A. For example, it can be seen that block 1, which is an area where employee numbers are recorded, starts from address 0 and ends at address 9.

  In the management terminal 700A of the present embodiment, the area setting information is generated using the format information of the IC card A as shown in FIG. Note that the format information of the IC card A is provided in advance by an IC card issuer.

  The generation of region setting information will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, the information read from the IC card A can be selected from the following three types. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for selecting the type of information read from the IC card A. There are three types of information read from the IC card A: IC card identification information, information according to a standard format, and information recorded in an arbitrary area in the IC card A.

  In the management terminal 700A, when information to be read from the IC card A is selected on the screen shown in FIG. 33, a screen for setting an area is displayed on the display device 730.

  In FIG. 33, when the IC card identification information is selected as information read from the IC card A, the area setting information generation unit 712 uses the information indicating the head area of the IC card A as area setting information. Note that the recording area of the IC card identification information is not limited to the head area of the IC card A.

  In FIG. 33, when information according to the standard format is selected as information read from the IC card A, the region setting information generation unit 712 uses information indicating the standard format as region setting information. The standard format is provided in advance from the IC card A issuer to the system administrator, and is set in the management terminal 700A. In accordance with the standard format, for example, information indicating the recording area of the IC card identification information, information indicating the recording area of the employee number, and the like are stored in the management terminal 700A as format information. The area setting information generation unit 712 generates area setting information based on the format information stored in the management terminal 700A.

  Next, a case where information recorded in an arbitrary area in the IC card A is selected as information read from the IC card A in FIG. In the present embodiment, by setting an arbitrary area in the IC card, information on the set area can be read.

  FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of an area setting screen for setting an area in the IC card A.

  The area setting screen 25A includes a block designating unit 25B for designating a block from which information is read, a position designating unit 25C for designating a position (address) in the designated block, and an information list unit 25D for displaying items of information to be read. Is provided.

  On the area setting screen 25A, block 1 and block 3 of the IC card A are designated in the block designation unit 25B. Further, all data of block 1 and block 3 are specified in the position specifying unit 25C. Therefore, the area setting information generation unit 712 generates area setting information indicating that all data recorded in the block 1 and the block 3 of the IC card is acquired.

  The information list section 25D displays employee numbers that are all data recorded in the block 1 and expiration dates that are all data recorded in the block 3 as items of information acquired from the area setting information. . Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to specify the block and the position of the information in the block while confirming the information item to be read on the area setting screen. For this reason, for example, when the area setting information is generated by a system administrator or the like, the area setting information can be generated by a simple operation.

  The area setting information generated in the management terminal 700A is provided to the image forming apparatus 200C via the network 600, for example. The area setting information may be recorded on a recording medium such as a USB memory in the management terminal 700A. The image forming apparatus 200C reads the area setting information recorded on the recording medium and acquires the area setting information. In the present embodiment, the area setting program for realizing the function of the area setting information generation unit 712 is installed in the management terminal 700A, but the present invention is not limited to this. The area setting program may be installed in the user terminal 900, for example. The area setting program may be installed in a general computer not connected to the image forming apparatus 200C, and the generated area setting information may be recorded on a recording medium and provided to the image forming apparatus 200C.

  Next, the operation of the plug-in 290A in the image forming apparatus 200C of the present embodiment will be described. In the image forming apparatus 200C, information based on the area setting information can be read from the IC card by operating the plug-in 290A. FIG. 35 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the plug-in 290A in the image forming apparatus 200C.

  The plug-in 290A starts processing when it is selected as a plan-in executed in the plug-in unit 230C in step S2601. The plug-in selection will be described below.

  The image forming apparatus 200 </ b> C of the present embodiment has a plurality of types of plug-ins (not shown) for controlling reading of information from the IC card. The system administrator can select a plug-in to be executed by the image forming apparatus 200C. The selection of the plug-in is performed by an administrator tool for managing the image forming apparatus management system 100A, for example. The administrator tool may be included in the management terminal 700A or the image forming apparatus 200C.

  Other plug-ins of the image forming apparatus 200C include, for example, an SSFC (registered trademark) plug-in that conforms to the SSFC (Shared Security Formats Cooperation) (registered trademark) standard, and an eLWISE plug-in that conforms to the eLWISE card standard. There is. For example, when an SSFC (registered trademark) plug-in is selected, an SSFC (registered trademark) pipeline is executed, and the image forming apparatus 200C reads information from the IC card according to the SSFC (registered trademark) standard format. Note that the plug-in 290A of the present embodiment may be applied as, for example, a Felica (registered trademark) plug-in that conforms to the Felica (registered trademark) standard.

  FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plug-in setting screen according to the fourth embodiment. The plug-in setting screen 70A may be displayed on the display device 730 of the management terminal 700A or may be displayed on the operation display device 28 of the image forming apparatus 200C. The image forming apparatus 200C according to the present embodiment activates the plug-in 290A when the plug-in 290A is selected on the plug-in setting screen illustrated in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 35, image forming apparatus 200C proceeds to step S2602 following step S2601. When the plug-in 290A is activated in the image forming apparatus 200C, the area setting information acquisition unit 291 acquires area setting information. The area setting information acquisition unit 291 may acquire area setting information from the management terminal 700A via the network 600, or may acquire area setting information recorded on a recording medium. Progressing to step S2603 following step S2602, the area setting unit 292 sets the acquired area setting information in the image forming apparatus 200C. That is, the area setting unit 292 stores area setting information in the auxiliary storage device 24. Here, the setting of the area setting information in the image forming apparatus 200C is completed.

  Progressing to step S2604 following step S2603, when the IC card A is inserted into the IC card reader 220, the IC card reader 220 is recorded in the set area of the IC card A based on the control of the card reader control unit 293. Read information. The card reader control unit 293 refers to the area setting information stored in the auxiliary storage device 24, and controls reading of information of the IC card reader 220 based on the referenced area setting information. The IC card reader 220 may acquire the format information of the IC card A when the IC card A is inserted.

  In this embodiment, four patterns of area setting information can be generated for one type of IC card. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 200C may acquire and set area setting information of a plurality of patterns. When a plurality of patterns of area setting information are set in the image forming apparatus 200C, the card reader control unit 293 determines whether each area setting information corresponds to the format of the IC card A in order from the area setting information acquired first. Is determined. The card reader control unit 293 controls reading of information by the IC card reader 220 based on the area setting information determined to correspond to the format of the IC card A.

  Progressing to step S2605 following step S2604, when information is read by the IC card reader 220, the information format conversion unit 294 converts the read information into a predetermined information format. The predetermined format is a format of information that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 200C of the present embodiment. For example, when the image forming apparatus 200C has a specification corresponding to the information of the Felica (registered trademark) card format, and the information read from the IC card reader 220 is the format of the eLWISE card, the information format conversion unit 294 The read information format is converted to a Felica (registered trademark) card format. When the information read by the IC card reader 220 is information in a format that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 200C, the information format conversion unit 294 may not perform the information format conversion processing.

  Progressing to step S2606 following step S2605, the image forming apparatus 200C transmits information whose format has been changed by the information format conversion unit 294 to the management server 300A. The management server 300A executes a user login process using the information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 200C.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 200 </ b> C of the present embodiment, it is possible to set an area for reading information on the IC card and read information recorded in the set area. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 200C, information to be read from the IC card can be set according to the use environment of the image forming apparatus management system 100A. In the image forming apparatus 200C of the present embodiment, the read information format can be converted into a format that can be processed by the image forming apparatus 200C. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 200C of the present embodiment, it is possible to cope with a plurality of types of IC cards with different standards, and to improve the versatility of the image forming apparatus 200C.

  Next, the login process of this embodiment will be described. In the image forming apparatus management system 100A of the present embodiment, for example, even when the user forgets the IC card, the user can be authenticated and logged in by inputting the user ID and password.

  FIG. 37 is a flowchart for explaining user authentication when an IC card is forgotten in the fourth embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, an instruction button 28A for instructing display of a keyboard screen is displayed on the operation display device 28 of the image forming apparatus 200C. FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen in the image forming apparatus 200 </ b> C according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 38A illustrates an example of a standby screen displayed on the operation display device 28. FIG. 38B shows an example of a keyboard screen displayed on the operation display device 28. As shown in FIG. 38A, in the image forming apparatus 200C of this embodiment, an instruction button 28A for instructing keyboard input is provided on the standby screen.

  The image forming apparatus 200C proceeds to step S2802 when a keyboard input instruction is given by the instruction button 28A in step S2801, and causes the operation display device 28 to display a keyboard screen as shown in FIG.

  Progressing to step S2803 following step S2802, the image forming apparatus 200C acquires the user ID and password input from the keyboard screen. Progressing to step S2804 following step S2803, image forming apparatus 200C transmits the acquired user ID and password to AD server 500A via management server 300A. The AD server 500A determines whether the acquired user ID and password are valid based on the information stored in the storage device 510 and the authentication processing unit 520. The AD server 500A authenticates the user when the acquired user ID and password are valid.

  Hereinafter, user authentication in the AD server 500A will be described. In the AD server 500A, the IC card identification information 531 and the user ID 532 are stored in the storage device 510 in association with each other. In the AD server 500A of this embodiment, information that matches the user ID and password acquired in step S2803 exists in the storage device 510, and IC card identification information corresponding to the user ID acquired in step S2803 is stored in the storage device 510. Authenticate a user if it exists.

  In step S2805 following step S2804, if the user is authenticated, the process advances to step S2806, and the management server 300A permits the user to log in, and the user login is completed.

  If the user is not authenticated in step S2805, the process advances to step S2807 to display an authentication error message on the operation display device 28 of the image forming apparatus 200C. The process advances from step S2807 to step S2808, and the image forming apparatus 200C obtains authentication error history information and stores it in the auxiliary storage device 24. The authentication error history information may be stored in the management server 300A.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 200 </ b> C of the present embodiment, user authentication can be performed using the user ID and password input from the keyboard even if the IC card is not possessed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, for example, even when the user forgets the IC card, the image forming apparatus 200C can be used based on the use restriction information of the user without issuing a temporary IC card or the like.

  In the image forming apparatus management system 100A of this embodiment, up to four AD servers 500A can be installed. According to this configuration, for example, even when one AD server 500A malfunctions, the other AD server 500A can handle it. In the present embodiment, whether or not to display the instruction button 28A on the operation display device 28 of the image forming apparatus 200C may be set in advance by the system administrator. When the setting is such that the instruction button 28A is displayed, the AD server 500A authenticates the user ID input from the keyboard screen.

  Next, management of user information in the management server 300A of this embodiment will be described.

  In the management server 300A of this embodiment, user information stored in the auxiliary storage device 34 can be registered, deleted, and updated.

  FIG. 39 is a flowchart for describing registration and deletion of user information in the management server 300A of the fourth embodiment.

  When the IC card reader 220 reads the IC card identification information in the image forming apparatus 200C, the management server 300A proceeds to step S3001, and acquires the IC card identification information from the image forming apparatus 200C.

  Progressing to step S3002 following step S3001, the management server 300A performs authentication processing of the acquired IC card identification information based on the acquired IC card identification information and the user information stored in the auxiliary storage device 34. When the IC card identification information is not authenticated in S3002, the management server 300A transmits the IC card identification information to the AD server 500A. In step S3003, the authentication processing unit 520 of the AD server 500A performs authentication processing of the acquired IC card identification information based on the acquired IC card identification information and the user information 530.

  In step S3003, when the IC card identification information acquired by the AD server 500A is not authenticated, the AD server 500A transmits an authentication error message to the image forming apparatus 200C via the management server 300A. In step S3004, an authentication error message is displayed on the operation display device 28 of the image forming apparatus 200C.

  In step S3003, when the IC card identification information acquired by the AD server 500A is authenticated, the management server 300A receives a message indicating that the user is authenticated from the AD server 500A. The management server 300A receives this message and proceeds to step S3005 to log the user in.

  In step S3006 following step S3005, the management server 300A obtains a user ID corresponding to the authenticated IC card identification information from the AD server 500A, and the user information registration unit 351 stores this user ID in the auxiliary storage device 34. Register with

  Specifically, the user information registration unit 351 receives a message indicating that the IC card identification information is authenticated in the AD server 500A, and acquires a user ID corresponding to the authenticated IC card identification information from the AD server 500A. Then, the user information registration unit 351 stores the usage restriction information in association with the IC card identification information and the user ID in the auxiliary storage device 34. The use restriction information associated here is information stored in advance in the auxiliary storage device 34 as an initial setting. In the present embodiment, when the use restriction information is in an initial setting state, all functions of the image forming apparatus 200C can be used.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when the IC card identification information is not authenticated by the management server 300A and is authenticated by the AD server 500A, the user is authenticated. Then, the management server 300A acquires the user ID corresponding to the IC card identification information from the AD server 500A, and registers it in the auxiliary storage device 34 in association with the initial use restriction information.

  Therefore, the system administrator only has to register the IC card identification information and the user ID only in the AD server 500A when registering the user information of the new user in the image forming apparatus management system 100A. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to register the IC card identification information and the user ID in both the AD server 500A and the management server 300A, and the burden on the system administrator can be reduced.

  In step S3002, when the IC card identification information is authenticated by the management server 300A, the management server 300A transmits the IC card identification information and user information including the IC card identification information and the user ID to the AD server 500A. Progressing to step S3007 following step S3002, the AD server 500A performs an authentication process of user information. When the AD server 500A authenticates the user information, the process proceeds to step S3008, and the management server 300A logs in the user.

  If the AD server 500A does not authenticate user information in step S3007, the process advances to step S3009, and the management server 300A invalidates the IC card identification information and transmits an authentication error message to the image forming apparatus 200C. In step S3010 following step S3009, the user information deletion unit 352 in the management server 300A includes the IC card identification information that has not been authenticated by the AD server 500A from the auxiliary storage device 34, and the corresponding user ID and use restriction information. Is deleted.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, when invalid user information is stored in the management server 300A, it can be automatically deleted.

  In the present embodiment, the user information update unit 353 can update user information including registration and deletion of the user information described above.

  The user information registration and deletion process described with reference to FIG. 39 is executed only when the IC card identification information of the user to be registered and deleted is acquired. On the other hand, the user information update unit 353 periodically updates the user information stored in the auxiliary storage device 34.

  In the management server 300A, the update file acquisition unit 360 periodically acquires an update file for updating user information created in advance. When the update file is acquired, the user information update unit 353 rewrites and updates the user information based on the update file.

  Here, the update file will be described.

  The update file mainly includes information related to the IC card identification information and the user ID. The update file information is information corresponding to the user information 530 stored in the AD server 500A. The AD server 500A periodically writes out the user information 530 stored in the AD server 500A as a file of a predetermined format and provides it to the management server 300A. The predetermined format indicates a format that can be processed by the management server 300A. In the present embodiment, the file is, for example, a CSV file.

  The management server 300A acquires an update file periodically provided from the AD server 500A, and updates user information based on the acquired update file. In the management server 300A, the user information 310 in the auxiliary storage device 34 can be made to correspond to the user information in the AD server 500A by this update process. The update of the user information in the management server 300A includes the update of usage restriction information.

  For example, when new user information 310 is added to the update file, the user information update unit 353 stores the default use restriction information 313 in the auxiliary storage device 34 in association with the newly added user information 310. . When the user information 310 has been deleted from the update file, the user information update unit 353 deletes the usage restriction information corresponding to the user information 310 deleted from the auxiliary storage device 34.

  As described above, in the management server 300A of the present embodiment, user information can be periodically updated in correspondence with the AD server 500A. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform double information management, that is, management of the user information 530 in the AD server 500A and management of the user information 310 in the management server 300A. For this reason, the burden of information management on the system administrator can be reduced.

  In the management server 300A of this embodiment, print jobs stored in the print server 800 can be deleted at once.

  In the management server 300A, the print job deletion instruction unit 370 generates a print job deletion instruction and transmits it to the print server 800. In response to this instruction, the print server 800 causes the print job deletion unit 813 to delete the print job held in the print command holding unit 820.

  In the management server 300A, a print job deletion instruction may be periodically generated and transmitted to the print server 800. The print job deletion instruction unit 370 generates a print job deletion instruction for each period preset by the system administrator, and transmits the print job deletion instruction to the print server 800. The print job deletion instruction generated here may be batch deletion of print jobs. In this case, the print server 800 collectively deletes all print jobs held in the print command holding unit 820 every time a print job deletion instruction is received.

  In the management server 300A, for example, a print job deletion instruction for deleting a print job stored for a predetermined period set by the system administrator may be generated. For example, it is assumed that the system administrator has set to delete print jobs accumulated for 8 days from 10 days ago to 2 days ago. In this case, the print job deletion instruction unit 370 transmits the print job deletion instruction and the period information set by the system administrator to the print server 800. The print server 800 deletes the print job accumulated during the period set according to the period information.

  Note that the print job deletion instruction unit 370 may display a setting screen that prompts the user to set the period information or issue a print job deletion instruction on the display device of the management server 300A. The system administrator can generate a print job deletion instruction by setting a period according to the setting screen and issuing a print job deletion instruction.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent an enormous amount of data from being accumulated in the print server 800, and to reduce the capacity of the print server 800.

  In the management server 300A of this embodiment, the print order change instruction unit 380 can change the execution order of print jobs stored in the print server 800.

  In the present embodiment, for example, when the print server 800 is set to execute print jobs in the order in which the print job is received, the print order change instruction unit 380 changes the settings of the print server 800. Can do. The management server 300A uses the print order change instruction unit 380 to generate an instruction to change the setting to execute the print job in the order of the date and time when the print job was received. The management server 300A transmits the generated print order change instruction to the print server 800. Upon receiving this print order change instruction, the print server 800 changes the setting of the print job execution order.

  The print order change instruction unit 380 may display a setting screen for prompting the user to change the print order on the display device of the management server 300A. The system administrator can generate a print order change instruction by setting the print order according to the setting screen.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the execution order of print jobs can be changed, it is possible to cause the print server 800 to execute print jobs in an appropriate order according to the operation of the image forming apparatus management system 100A.

(Fifth embodiment)
The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 40 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus management system 100B according to the fifth embodiment. Among the components of the image forming apparatus management system 100B of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 40, those having the same functions and configurations as those of the fourth embodiment are the same as those used in the description of the fourth embodiment. Reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  In the image forming apparatus management system 100B according to the fifth embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200C, the operation terminal 50 that operates the image forming apparatus 200C, and the operation terminal 50 correspond to the image forming apparatus 200C according to the fourth embodiment. A biometric information reader 210a and an IC card reader 220a connected to the outside are used.

  FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus 200C, the operation terminal 50, the biological information reading apparatus 210a, and the IC card reader 220a.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200 </ b> C is connected to the network 600, and the biological information reading apparatus 210 a and the IC card reader 220 a are connected to the image forming apparatus 200 </ b> C via the operation terminal 50. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200C is serially connected to the operation terminal 50 via RS232C or the like. The biological information reader 210a and the IC card reader 220a are connected to the operation terminal 50 by USB or the like.

  The hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 200C is the same as that of the image forming apparatus 200 of the first embodiment. The functions of the display control unit 260, the individual information acquisition unit 270, and the processing history acquisition unit 280 of the image forming apparatus 200C are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 200 of the first embodiment.

  The operation terminal 50 is a computer having an arithmetic processing unit and a storage device, and includes a plug-in unit 230C, a plug-in setting unit 240A, and a password generation unit 250. The plug-in unit 230C includes a plug-in 231 that implements a biometric information reading control function and a plug-in 290A that implements an IC card information acquisition function. Each plug-in is as described in the first and fourth embodiments. The plug-in 231 and the plug-in 290A may be installed in the operation terminal 50 via the network 600. Further, the operation terminal 50 may acquire each plug-in from a recording medium on which the plug-in 231 and the plug-in 290A are recorded.

  The functions of the plug-in setting unit 240A and the password generation unit 250 are as described in the fourth embodiment.

  A setting value is stored in the storage device of the operation terminal 50, and an operation value as a result of processing executed by the operation processing device is temporarily recorded. In addition, the recording device of the operation terminal 50 includes information related to system settings of the image forming apparatus management system 100A, IC card identification information, and the like in case the operation terminal 50 becomes unable to communicate with the management server 300A and the print server 800. User information including a user ID and a password, use restriction information corresponding to the user information, information indicating a history of a user who uses the image forming apparatus 200C, and the like are stored. The operation terminal 50 periodically transmits these pieces of information stored in the storage device to the management server 300A.

  Hereinafter, biometric authentication in the fifth embodiment will be described.

  When performing biometric authentication in the image forming apparatus management system 100B, the plug-in 231 is set by the plug-in setting unit 240 of the operation terminal 50. The operation terminal 50 acquires biometric information by the functions of the biometric information reading device 210a and the plug-in 231. The biometric information is transmitted to the biometric authentication server 400 via the network 600 together with the user ID input from the image forming apparatus 200C. The processing after the biometric information is transmitted to the biometric authentication server 400 is as described in the first embodiment.

  Next, IC card authentication in the fifth embodiment will be described.

  The operation terminal 50 acquires IC card identification information by the IC card reader 220a. The control unit 211 of the operation terminal 50 acquires the IC card identification information from the IC card reader 220a. Then, the acquired IC card identification information is transmitted to the management server 300A via the network 600. Based on the IC card identification information, the management server 300A extracts a user ID corresponding to the IC card identification information, and provides use restriction information corresponding to the extracted user ID to the image forming apparatus 200C. The operation of the image forming apparatus 200C is controlled based on the use restriction information.

  As described above, in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus 200C and the operation terminal 50 permit the use of the image forming apparatus for each user as in the first and fourth embodiments. It becomes possible to maintain the confidentiality of information.

  As mentioned above, although this invention has been demonstrated based on each embodiment, this invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the said embodiment. With respect to these points, the gist of the present invention can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an image forming apparatus management system 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 200. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a management server 300. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus management system 100 according to a first embodiment. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 200 according to the first embodiment. FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the management server 300 of 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting screen of the plug-in in 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting screen of the authentication server in the management server 300 of 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the biometric authentication in 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of an opening screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the user ID input screen displayed on the operation display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the error message displayed on the operation display apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining IC card authentication in a first embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the personal menu process in 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state of the operation display apparatus 28 when a personal menu process is selected. It is a flowchart explaining user authentication when the biometric authentication server 400 cannot be used. It is a figure explaining the biometrics server 400A of 2nd embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 200A according to a second embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the operation display device 28. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen where the list | wrist of the group name was displayed. It is a flowchart explaining the biometric authentication in 2nd embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 200B according to a third embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the button setting screen by the button setting part 237 of 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the biometric authentication in 3rd embodiment. 4 is an example of a screen displayed on the operation display device 28. FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus management system 100A according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a functional configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 200C according to a fourth embodiment. It is a functional lineblock diagram of management server 300A of a 4th embodiment. It is a figure explaining AD server 500A of a 4th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the print server 800 of 4th embodiment. It is a figure explaining management terminal 700A of a 4th embodiment. It is a figure explaining an IC card. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which selects the kind of information read from IC card A. It is a figure which shows an example of the area | region setting screen which sets the area | region in IC card A. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a plug-in 290A in the image forming apparatus 200C. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting screen of the plug-in in 4th embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining user authentication when the IC card in the fourth embodiment is forgotten. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen in 200 C of image forming apparatuses of 4th embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining registration and deletion of user information in management server 300A of a 4th embodiment. FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus management system 100B according to a fifth embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structure of 200 C of image forming apparatuses, the operation terminal 50, the biometric information reader 210a, and the IC card reader 220a.

Explanation of symbols

100, 100A, 100B Image forming apparatus management system 200, 200A, 200B, 200C, 200C Image forming apparatus 210, 210a Biological information reader 220, 220a IC card reader 231, 231A, 231B, 290, 290A Plug-in 232 Biometric information acquisition Unit 233 biological information processing unit 240 plug-in setting unit 250 password generation unit 260, 340 display control unit 270 individual information acquisition unit 280 processing history acquisition unit 300, 300A management server 310 user information 313 use restriction information 320 use restriction information acquisition unit 330 Authentication server setting unit 400, 400A Authentication server 500, 500A AD server 530 User information 520 Authentication processing unit 600 Network 700, 700A Management terminal 900 User terminal

Claims (14)

An image forming apparatus that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus via a network, and acquires biometric information.
Transmitting means for transmitting the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server;
Receiving means for receiving use restriction information corresponding to the biometric information from the management server;
An image forming apparatus comprising: control means for controlling an operation of the image forming apparatus based on the use restriction information.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a biological information reading unit that reads the biological information. The biometric authentication server has a database in which biometric information is stored for each group to which group identification information is assigned,
The image forming apparatus includes:
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set association between the group identification information of the group including the biometric information and a name of the group. Selecting means for selecting a name of the group set by the setting means;
Group identification information acquisition means for acquiring group identification information corresponding to the name of the group selected by the selection means,
The transmission means includes
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the group identification information acquired by the group identification information acquisition unit and the biometric information are transmitted to the biometric authentication server. It is connected to a user authentication server that performs user authentication based on user identification information,
Having user identification information acquisition means;
5. The transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein when the biometric information cannot be transmitted to the biometric authentication server, the transmission unit transmits the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit to the user authentication server. 6. Image forming apparatus. An acquisition information setting unit configured to set one of the biological information and the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium as information to be acquired;
6. The transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium to the management server when recording medium identification information is set in the acquired information by the acquisition information setting unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a recording medium identification information reading unit that reads the recording medium identification information from the recording medium. A management server that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information via a network and performs control related to use of the image forming apparatus,
Use restriction information storage means storing use restriction information related to use of the image forming apparatus;
Receiving means for receiving user identification information corresponding to the biometric information acquired by the image forming apparatus from the biometric authentication server;
Use restriction information obtaining means for obtaining use restriction information corresponding to the user identification information from the use restriction information storage means;
A transmission server configured to transmit the use restriction information to the image forming apparatus. An image forming method using an image forming apparatus that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus via a network, and acquires biometric information. There,
A transmission procedure for transmitting the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server;
A reception procedure for receiving use restriction information corresponding to the biometric information from the management server;
A control procedure for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the use restriction information. An image that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus via a network, and is executed in an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information A formation program,
The image forming apparatus includes an arithmetic processing device and a storage device,
In the arithmetic processing unit,
A transmitting step of transmitting the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server;
Receiving the usage restriction information corresponding to the biological information from the management server;
A control step of controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on the use restriction information. A management method is performed by a management server that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information via a network and performs control related to use of the image forming apparatus. And
The management server includes use restriction information storage means in which use restriction information related to use of the image forming apparatus is stored.
A receiving procedure for receiving user identification information corresponding to the biometric information acquired by the image forming apparatus from the biometric authentication server;
A use restriction information obtaining procedure for obtaining use restriction information corresponding to the user identification information from the use restriction information storage means;
A transmission procedure for transmitting the use restriction information to the image forming apparatus. Management that is connected to a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on biometric information and an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information via a network, and that is executed in a management server that controls the use of the image forming apparatus A program,
The management server includes an arithmetic processing device and a storage device that stores use restriction information related to use of the image forming device,
In the arithmetic processing unit,
Receiving from the biometric authentication server user identification information corresponding to the biometric information acquired by the image forming apparatus;
A use restriction information obtaining step for obtaining use restriction information corresponding to the user identification information from the storage device;
A transmission program for transmitting the use restriction information to the image forming apparatus. Image forming apparatus management in which an image forming apparatus that acquires biometric information, a biometric authentication server that performs user authentication based on the biometric information, and a management server that performs management related to use of the image forming apparatus are connected via a network A system,
The biometric authentication server is
Transmission means for transmitting user identification information corresponding to biometric information transmitted from the image forming apparatus to the management server;
The management server
Use restriction information storage means storing use restriction information related to use of the image forming apparatus;
Use restriction information obtaining means for obtaining use restriction information corresponding to the user identification information from the use restriction information storage means;
Transmission means for transmitting the use restriction information to the image forming apparatus,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Transmitting means for transmitting the acquired biometric information to the biometric authentication server;
An image forming apparatus management system comprising: control means for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus based on use restriction information transmitted from the management server. The image forming apparatus includes:
An acquisition information setting unit configured to perform setting for acquiring any one of the biological information and the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium;
14. The image according to claim 13, wherein the transmission unit transmits the recording medium identification information acquired from the recording medium to the management server when the recording medium identification information is set in the acquired information by the acquisition information setting unit. Forming device management system.

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